Before Sunrise
by Ultimate Prime
Summary: Before sunrise, he returned to where it all began. CHRUCE!


**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything of Smallville nor do I own Batman.

**Author's Note:** I actually wrote this some time ago and posted it on Kryptonsite. My favorite fictional pairing! This is also slightly rewritten.

**Rated: G**

**Summary:** Before sunrise, he returned to the place where it all began.

**Before Sunrise**

The night was halfway over, signaling that his patrol was almost finished over Gotham City. The dark figure though had put his patrolling on hold, returning to a place of a tragic beginning.

He is known as Batman, a larger than life superhero, or,in the eyes of many, a vigilante who puts the laws into his own hands, but he always does it by the book. He is the Dark Knight, the world's greatest detective, and quite possibly the most dangerous man on the planet. Is there any argument for that title? He's faced some of the most bizarre and most dangerous criminals rather they be human or something more and has always come out on top. He has even bested about all the members of the Justice League, the same team of superheroes that he was a part of, including a man who he considers his actual real friend, Clark Kent, better known as Superman.

Underneath the black cowl however is an all too human man, a mortal by the name of Bruce Wayne. A man who is all too familiar with loss, pain and suffering; a man who has even questioned his existence like so many, or even wonders why he has chosen this path.

Coming back here, he is reminded. It was the memory of their love for him, and their deaths that fueled him to take this path between vengeance and justice. Thomas and Martha Wayne, his parents. For their memory, he has taken up a life of responsibility to others in the name of justice. A life he can never be released from, but there are times when despair has gotten the best of him that he's thought of just giving it up, throwing in the towel, or even going as far over the edge, especially with the memory of what the Joker had done to Barbara Gordon, the first Batgirl.

Gently, he places two more red roses on the sidewalk like he has every year now since that day. For a moment, he pauses, as if he could just break down at any given moment.

He doesn't. He can't, either.

For the first time for Bruce Wayne, or Batman, feels alive instead of a cold empty shell, or a shadow of a man. He can't really explain it, he just does.

He wonders now, after all the tragedy that has befallen on his life, how many men who have known great loss have gained something to make them feel whole again? How many men have had their identities stripped away and returned?

How many men are given a second chance?

He can't quite explain how he feels, but he knows who is responsible for making him feel like this. Her name was Chloe Sullivan.

They first met in Smallville, before the birth of Batman, while Bruce was finalizing a business deal with Lex Luthor, which actually after hearing from an old friend named Oliver Queen he had gone to investigate this Level 33.1 business, while Luthor was secretly struggling to take over Wayne Industries. The moment he laid eyes on her, Bruce knew she would forever change his life. He had even thought of discontinuing with his path to be with her, but with her life in danger he knew he couldn't. He had left his heart behind the day he left Smallville….only for it to return to him in Gotham City.

Not finding a sense of fulfillment in the Daily Planet, Chloe had been offered a transfer to the Gotham Gazette that had been losing numbers for the past couple of years now because they just didn't have a courageous and intrepid journalist like Chloe Sullivan. She had accepted, left everything in Smallville and Metropolis behind and moved to Gotham City where they reunited, but not under the best circumstances while she was taking a short cut through the slums and just happened to almost get mugged, or maybe worse if the Batman hadn't shown up.

Somehow, she knew immediately that it was him, and she had vowed to take his secret to her grave. If Clark trusted her with his secret, Bruce knew he could do the same. And even despite that she knew of his secret and why, she still stuck by him come rain or shine. Unlike others, including Vicky Vale, she even accepts his double life. It was a trust that lead to a partnership formed of what he thought was a perfect arrangement: he was out patrolling the streets of Gotham, putting his well being on the line to protect his home, and she was safe back at the Batcave with Alfred, guiding him on with computer hacking skills.

The Batman and Watchtower.

He thinks about Chloe….his best friend, his wife…..and the despair and coldness he has come to feel for every time he puts the mask on disappears, replaced by a warmth in his heart as he just pictures her mega-watt smile.

She has become his pillar of hope for a tomorrow, the sanity to his insane lifestyle. She has even shown him a truth that he thought was buried so long ago.

Chloe made him realize that Batman was just a mask, that Bruce Wayne was the symbol of hope and justice for Gotham City, just like how Clark Kent was Clark Kent and Superman was what he could do.

"I had a feeling you'd be here."

So fast like lightening, Batman spun around to face whoever decide to intrude on his thoughts, but relaxes when he sees that it's just her.

She was snuggled in a green coat with her hands shoved into its pockets. Her long blond hair is splayed all around her shoulders with a gentle breeze stroking a few strands. Her emerald green eyes were sparkling. She has on that breathtaking smile of hers again.

He's so in love, but at the same time he's concerned.

"What are you doing here?" he asks in Batman's tone. He still had to be careful.

She shrugged as she walked closer towards him. "Couldn't sleep, so I took a drive after managing to sneak silently passed Alfred without waking him, a task that is actually more difficult than you can possibly imagine."

He smirks. Batman doesn't smirk though, but right now it's not Batman that's talking to Chloe Sullivan-Wayne.

"Then I saw you swinging towards here, so I followed. I guess, I just couldn't wait for morning to see you."

She doesn't reach out for him. Chloe knows his insecurities about putting her life in danger, especially when their in this part of Gotham.

Tonight though, those insecurities are pushed aside as he reaches out his black gloved hand for hers, giving it a gentle squeeze which she returns.

"So," she looks around, "This is where it all happened?"

He nods.

"They would be proud of you." she reassures him.

"Your parents would be proud of you." he replies. "You and Lois make us costumed crime fighters seem over the top."

Her smile brightens. "That's my line."

"We're married. I believe I am entitled to use a line from the infamous _Chloe Sullivan's List of Catchy Quotes_."

She laughs while he lets out a small chuckle. Their laughter dies down their eyes are locked in a loving gaze.

"We need to get home." Chloe speaks up.

"Yes, we do."

She moves to leave, but he stops her as never releases her hand. She looks at him quizzically.

"We still have a few minutes. Come here." he motions her towards him.

She raises an eyebrow at her husband's behavior, but does as he says and moves closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist. She is startled by the sound of the batcable firing off, but calms when she feels his arm move around her tight.

"What about the car?" she asks.

"I took the jet this time."

"I meant your other car."

"I can always pick it up or have it towed. Hold on."

Before she knows it, Chloe Sullivan-Wayne is high above the ground. Her heart nearly leaped out of her chest, but she wasn't afraid. The adrenaline took over and she screamed in excitement as she found herself swinging around not only the slums, but of all of Gotham City itself.

Now Chloe knew how Mary Jane felt web-swinging through the city with Spider-Man!

Bruce still had no idea who Spider-Man was.

The only difference was that Spider-Man had webbing, while Batman had the batcable, and the batjet to make this moment possible.

She never felt more alive.

The ride was over when they reached the very top of the Wayne Manor with Batman releasing the batcable, his cape slowing them down enough to give them a gentle landing, or rather him a gentle landing as he held her off the ground in his strong free arm. The batjet flew off after his signaled its auto-pilot.

She laughs. Her hair is disheveled, but she doesn't pull away from him to fix it. She doesn't really need to.

She's never looked more beautiful.

"I can't believe we just did that."

"Neither can I. I….I know it's not how Clark does it, but I wanted to do something like it for you."

She moves her hand to the back of his neck, pulling him down so his lips brush gently against hers.

"It was perfect." she smiled after their kiss slowly ended.

He grinned. "It's not over."

She looked confused now. "It's not?"

"No." he shook his head and then pointed out in the distance. Her eyes followed, letting go of him and then caught on to what he had meant.

The sun was rising. From here on the top of Wayne Manor instead of behind a large glass bedroom window or a balcony, it was romantically breathtaking.

His strong arms encircled her waist, and she moved her arms over his, leaning against him as his cape surrounded them.

"It really is a beautiful sunrise, isn't it, Bruce?"

He rested his cheek against hers. "Yeah. It sure is, Sweetheart. It sure is."

"….Oh. I'm pregnant, by the way."


End file.
